There are a couple different reasons your vehicle may need to be towed. Maybe you’ve had an accident or maybe your car has mysteriously broken down on the highway. Regardless of the reason, it’s important to know who you’re going to call in case of a vehicle emergency and to know the proper safety measures you as a driver should be taking and the precautions the heavy towing specialist needs to be taking.

Driver of the Vehicle

For a driver who is mid driving and needs to pull over and have their car towed, there are a couple of important things to remember. In the event of a heavy towing, drivers need to first move their car as far away as they can from other moving cars. If there is a shoulder, great. Move onto the shoulder as soon as you can and cling to its very edge. As you wait for the heavy towing company to come, make sure your hazard lights are on, especially if it’s dark out, so that you are easily visible to other drivers on the road, and easily identifiable for the towing company. If you have an emergency roadside kit in your car, take out any reflectors you may have in it and place them around the outside of your car.

To expedite the towing process and better ensure its safety, tow truck drivers are also asked to always be making sure their truck’s cable lines are not at all damaged. Tow truck drivers must also ensure that the truck they are driving is capable of hauling the vehicle that is stranded. This type of information will be made sure of over the phone when the driver of the vehicle first calls. Tow truck drivers are also trained to not unwind the cables all of the way when loading a vehicle, and that the wheel-lift is extended far enough after loading, so that turns are easy to make. Lastly, tow truck drivers are practiced to avoid electrical lines and to ask bystanders to please step back during the towing process. It’s a process that requires a lot of safety attention, but these professionals are all thoroughly trained.